Redemption City Church is a new church serving Asheville and the surrounding area.
We are a community of people who worship and glorify God by making disciples who love and serve God and others, equip the Saints for ministry, and proclaim the excellencies of God, through the expositional preaching and teaching of Scripture and the proclamation of the Gospel.
Our story is one of redemption. The Bible shows us God's complete and perfect plan to redeem his people to himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Redemption is the act of purchasing back or securing the release of something by the payment of a ransom.
We have all defied and disobeyed (sinned against) a holy and just God (Romans 3:23). In doing so no one is righteous (right with God) and we find ourselves helpless to fix the mess we've made (Romans 3:9-18). In this broken condition we are dead in our sins and separated from God and in desperate need to be redeemed. But there is hope. There is a Redeemer.
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (Ephesians 2:1-3)
God was not satisfied to leave us dead in our trespasses but in his love and mercy chose to send Jesus, who was fully divine and fully human and without sin, to be our substitutionary atonement (he took our place and bore the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross). For all who believe and trust in Jesus the wrath of God that we deserved was poured out on him instead. Just as Jesus rose from the dead all who trust in him alone for the forgiveness of their sin are given a new life.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Sin holds us captive. On our own we are not able to escape from the perils of our sin and a fallen world. In our sin we stand guilty and condemned but the Bible says that, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Jesus said, "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). He also tells us, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). The redeemed are those who believe, trust, and abide in Jesus and are made righteous through him (his righteousness is credited to us as our own).
Our response to our redemption is joyful adoration, thanksgiving, and to gather together as a community of people who care for one another. Together, having been redeemed, we love, worship, and obey the Lord.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus came "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" and "having been offered once to bear the sins of many" he will come again "to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:26-28). Jesus ransomed himself to save us from sin and death.
The life we live now we live in eager anticipation of Christ's promised return where he will complete our salvation. He promises not to forsake us or abandon us in the meantime. When the Bible talks about redemption it talks about being saved from something to something. Redemption is being saved from sin and into a relationship with God. Through Jesus our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to God (he restores the relationship). The hope we now have is eternal life no longer plagued by sorrow, suffering, and sin but lived forever in the presence of God who created us and loves us.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)
The gospel (the good news of Christ's life, death, and resurrection) is a demonstration of God's love for us despite our sin; Jesus himself being our redemption. Who doesn't like a good redemption story?
Through the gospel God calls us to himself and unites us together as a family (the church) to love and serve him and each other.
"The setting for becoming mature in Christ is in a community not a crowd"
Our values are glorifying God, intentional community, and meaningful discipleship.
Scroll down to learn what we value most
As a newly forming church we are dependent upon strategic partnerships with churches and individuals who love Jesus and are excited to help us preach the gospel and make disciples. Here are four ways you can participate with us in the planting of a new church in our city:
Paul asks the Colossian church to pray for them, "that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ," and "that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." (Col. 4:3-4).
Prayer is fundamental to the Christian life and crucial to the health of the church. When we pray we acknowledge our dependance upon God and he stirs the hearts of his people. Prayer strengthens us for spiritual battle and draws us near to God. Prayer brings us to a place of peace and protects our hearts (Eph. 4:6-7). It helps us discern the will of God, consider his attributes, and spurs us on to good works. Please pray for us! We are grateful for all your prayers!
If you'd like to let us know you're praying for us or send us an encouragement click:
We can't give you a better reason to support us financially than to tell you your support will help us proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Your generous gifts will aid us in our mission of glorifying and worshiping God as a community of people who make disciples. We believe there's no better life lived, cause to support, or use of resources than one where the gospel is proclaimed and sinners who were dead in their trespasses are by grace through faith made alive in Christ. We consider any and all gifts to be a blessing from God to be received with much thankfulness. If you'd like to partner with us financially, whether a one time gift or an ongoing contribution, you can click the link below.
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor. 9:7)
In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Right now the core team for RCC is forming as we cultivate discipleship groups. God is bringing people together to accomplish his work. We are earnestly praying for people to labor with us to plant Redemption City Church. When we say join us we mean on mission, in fellowship, and through discipleship. We are not just looking for people to put to work or to fill a roster. We are looking for people who want to mature in Christ and glorify God.
We are praying God sends us people who will be devoted to the Word of God and exulting Jesus, and committed to sharing life together in a way that demonstrates the gospel and draws us nearer to God and his purposes. We are looking for people with burdens to share, gifts to use, imperfections to be met with grace, understanding to be gained, hurts to be comforted, and love to be shared.
We are working hard to get the word out about Redemption City Church. You can help us do that by sharing our story with friends and family and the churches you know. Sharing helps us come together to accomplish our common goal of making disciples. Gospel collaboration is a beautiful thing! You can help us connect with the people you know by directing them to our website and Facebook page.
When you like, share, and comment on our FB posts it helps us to be seen by more people. More visibility means more opportunities to connect people with the ministry of Redemption City Church.
As our creator and the sustainer of all things God deserves our worship and adoration. He is the giver of life, which we destroyed with our sin, and he gives us new life by saving us from sin and death through the shed blood and glorious resurrection of Jesus. Because of his divine attributes and perfections we are in awe of him. Because of his benevolent love we offer him our praise and thanksgiving. He is worthy and nothing is greater or more important than him. Everything we do we do to give him glory. Redemption City Church is a church that proclaims the excellencies of God and exalts the name of Jesus, who is the incarnation of God's glory. In glorifying God we find our greatest delight. We can find nothing else more deserving of our adoration. All else pales in comparison. This propels us to affectionately love, serve, and obey the Lord.
"Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord is the splendor of holiness" (1 Chronicles 16:28-29)
When we say discipleship we are talking about two things; the proclamation of the gospel which leads to new believers and the preaching and teaching of the Word which leads to mature believers.
"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." (Colossians 1:28)
We are confident God will grow and mature his church through discipleship -centered on the teaching of the Word and worship- in community where the people of God encourage, exhort and serve each other in love. When we taste and see that the Lord is good (gospel) we will hunger and thirst for righteousness (discipleship). Jesus is calling a people for his own possession to be conformed to his image. The church is more than a crowd that gathers, we are a people who exercise spiritual gifts for the building up of one another.
We believe discipleship happens in community where the Word of God is taught and the people of God care for each other and invest in each other's lives. We recognize this as being the Word of God taught in the context of the love of God displayed. Relationship is at the heart of the gospel -our relationship with God, with one another, and with those who need to be redeemed- and central to the mission of the church. The church thrives in its love for God and others at the intersections of good doctrine, willing obedience to Christ, and intentional meaningful relationships. Scripture refers to the body of Christ as a diverse family unified in the gospel who now have all things in common. As we humbly enter into relationship, caring for and loving one another, the world will see the love of Christ.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
Discipleship Groups are small gatherings where meaningful friendships are formed, the Word of God is explored and applied, and the people of God are equipped, encouraged, and built up. DGs typically meet in homes with the intention of being interwoven in each other's lives. The goal of our discipleship groups is to help us be better devoted to God and to one another as we grow together in maturity in Christ.
To find out when and where you can get connected with a Discipleship Group contact us at info@redemptioncitywnc.com